


The Village

by CRYptidSpaceKid



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canon Gay Relationship, Canon LGBTQ Character, Gay Male Character, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Suicide, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Character of Color, Multi, Song Lyrics, Trans Male Character, referenced mental health issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-10-23 13:46:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17684621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CRYptidSpaceKid/pseuds/CRYptidSpaceKid
Summary: Thank you so much for reading this story!The original song is The Village by Wrabel





	The Village

 Tonight was the night. The drama club was holding a free night, so any drama club member could hold their own show. As long as it didn't go over half an hour, there weren't many rules given. Keith, of course, was hesitant to join in. After thinking about it, he couldn't say no.

  
 Walking onto the stage, Keith suddenly began to have second thoughts. This was such a bold thing to do in front of so many people, but he was here now. With a little help, Keith had also created a video for his performance. He felt that it would add a bit of extra importance.  
 The music started, Keith tapping his foot along to the beat. Keith faced the back of the stage, seeing his friends give him a small thumbs up from their hidden spots. Keith gave a small smile, quickly getting lost in the music.

  
 "No, your mom don't get it, and your dad don't get it. Uncle John don't get it. And you can't tell grandma, 'cause her heart can't take it and she might not make it." The video displayed a girl awkwardly sitting at a table with a few other people acting as her family. The clip cut to her in the bathroom, holding a pair of scissors next to her hair, the counter an absolute mess.  
 "They say, 'don't dare, don't you even go there, cutting off your long hair. You do as you're told.' Tell you, 'wake up, go put on your makeup. This is just a phase you're gonna outgrow.' " The girl drops the scissors and runs out of the bathroom.

  
 Keith continues singing, his eyes watering up slightly. He always felt like this song struck close to home, hence why he always loved it. He had thought about performing it in front of the entire school the moment he heard about the drama night. The school was filled with asshole kids who couldn't wrap their heads around people who were different, so instead of trying to understand them, they bullied them and threw them down.

  
 "Feel the rumors follow you from Monday all the way to Friday dinner. You got one day of shelter, then it's Sunday hell to pay, you young lost sinner. Well, I've been there, sitting in that same chair, whispering that same prayer half a million times. It's a lie though buried in disciples. One page of the Bible isn't worth a life." The girl was hunched over, walking through the halls at the school, students laughing and pointing at her. A few kids were on their knees praying for her. The video cut to a silhouette, spreading their arms out and falling forward off a cliff.

  
 Keith could hear all the whispering from the crowd, but he kept going. He was already here, and he was going to finish what he started. "There's something wrong in the village, in the village, oh. They stare in the village, in the village, oh. There's nothing wrong with you, it's true, it's true.  There's something wrong with the village, with the village. There's something wrong with the village." As the instrumental played, all of the people that Keith had gathered up walked to the front of the stage, wearing all black and standing in a line next to Keith with their heads down.

  
 Keith turned around, and everyone on stage lifted their heads. Lance reached out and grabbed Keith's hand, seeing Adam and Shiro do the same out of the corner of his eye. Painted across the right side of their faces were their respective pride flags. The left side of their faces were clean, no makeup or anything, and it showed how much they were hurting. Tears rolling down cheeks, dark circles, bruises, and scars.

  
 "There's something wrong in the village, in the village, oh. They stare in the village, in the village, oh. There's nothing wrong with you, it's true, it's true.  There's something wrong with the village, with the village. There's something wrong with the village," Keith sang, his voice wavering slightly at the end. The lights dimmed, and they all bowed their heads again.  
 The room was silent for a minute before loud cheers and applause erupted from the people. The lights came back on, and everyone on stage had a huge smile on their faces.

 

 "All of us have our stories," Keith began. "I'm sure most students know me in here as the emo loner or the kid who gets into fist fights all the time. What you don't know is that my dad died in a fire when I was a kid. What you don't know is that my mom abandoned me before I could walk. What you don't know, is that I was once a girl who never felt right in her own skin. What you don't know, is that the person I am today has been influenced by all the abusive foster parents. You don't know our stories, yet you make judgments based on how we act today."  
 

 "I would like to give a few special thanks for those who helped with this performance. Pidge, I would like to thank you for helping me record and edit the video. Ezor, Shiro, Adam, Veronica, and Shay for playing as actors in the video. And I would like to give a huge thank you to all of the people who have joined me on stage today, to help with this performance," Keith stated. Keith bowed, and it rippled down the line of people on stage. As they began to walk off the stage, Keith couldn't help but smile at the applause from the crowd. Finally, he had been able to get his message across.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading this story!
> 
> The original song is The Village by Wrabel


End file.
